Four Knoxville teenagers have been shot and killed in 2021.
All of them students at Austin-East Magnet High School, though officials have repeatedly said the violence is not associated with the school itself.
The community is shaken by the violence and frustrated at the response from police and elected officials. Neighbors want answers on how to resolve this citywide issue.
Here is a timeline of how the events have happened:
Jan. 27, 2021 Justin Taylor, 15
At about 9:30 p.m., Knoxville Police Department responded to a report of a shooting victim in the parking lot of Western Heights Baptist Center on Scott Avenue. Police found Justin Taylor unresponsive inside a vehicle, suffering from at least one gunshot wound.
FBI Knoxville launches new campaign to gather info about recent shootings through Snapchat and Instagram
The ads tell teens on social media that they are able to submit tips anonymously by texting (865) 410-0839. Author: Amelia Young (WBIR) Updated: 10:55 PM EST March 5, 2021
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Three Austin-East students were shot and killed within three weeks Justin Taylor, Stanley Freeman Jr. and Janaria Muhammad.
Authorities are now bumping up their efforts to find those that are responsible. The Knoxville FBI office is launching a new and unique way to reach teens using social media. They are placing targeted ads on Instagram and Snapchat, going where the teens are.
The FBI is offering a cash reward for information leading to arrests and convictions in a pair of unsolved shootings that claimed the lives of two Knoxville teenagers last month.
A reward of up to $5,000 is available for information in the killings of 16-year-old Stanley Freeman Jr. and 15-year-old Janaria Muhammad, officials announced Tuesday. This reward is just one of the many tools that we will utilize in partnership with the Knoxville Police Department to protect our citizens, Joseph Carrico, special agent in charge of the FBI s Knoxville field office, said at a news conference.
Freeman and Muhammad both were students at Austin-East Magnet High School. Neither shooting happened on school grounds.